Hurricane Laura forces changes to high school football schedules in at least four states

As if high school football teams weren't challenged enough with the coronavirus pandemic, now arrives Hurricane Laura. At least 11 games were canceled in East Texas and dozens more rescheduled in parts of Alabama, Arkansas and Tennessee due to the storm that wrought destruction as it slammed into the Gulf Coast on Thursday morning near the Louisiana-Texas border.

Laura's landfall coincided with the opening week for Texas football, along with 10 other states, although only its smaller classifications were slated to play. The state's biggest classifications (5A and 6A) — with schools in its largest markets — look to a Sept. 24-26 start.

But with two tropical storms hitting Texas at once this week — dissipating Marco and surging Laura — at least two school districts (Sabine Pass and Vidor) postponed school this week, while also calling off games.

Laura was downgraded to a Category 2 storm Thursday, packing winds of 100 miles per hour as it's expected to cut a path through Arkansas, the Tennessee Valley and into the mid-Atlantic states by Saturday evening. Forecasters say its sustained winds still present danger to those in its path.

While contests in Tennessee and Alabama were moved forward to beat Laura's path, games in Arkansas were pushed back, including the much-anticipated game between defending state champions Robinson (Little Rock) and Pulaski Academy (Little Rock), now scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday at Joe B. Hatcher Stadium in Little Rock. The Thursday kickoff was changed late Wednesday night. This is the opening weekend for football in Arkansas.

"It was a very fast-moving situation," Robinson coach Todd Eskola told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. "It was going to be a stadium full of people. But we're happy that Pulaski Academy and coach (Kevin) Kelley was able to accommodate us (for Friday)."

Another big Arkansas game, Jonesboro at Little Rock Catholic, was postponed to Friday and the Valley View at Ozark contest was canceled due to travel concerns.

Alabama and Tennessee opened play last week and did some major reshuffling to avoid the hurricane. Of Tennessee's 117 games scheduled this week, 67 were moved to Thursday, according to The Tennessean. Most of those changes were done in the west (16 of 21) and middle (40 of 44) portions of the state.

Alabama rescheduled 62 games to Thursday, while 104 remain on Friday's docket, according to al.com.